NinjaRealmRaceIsAnEndlessRunnerWithAnEndInSight

is an endless runner game. The unusual thing about Ninja Realm Race is that there does seem to be an actual end to the game. The whole point to calling a game an endless runner is that, well, it’s rather endless. The game lasts for as long as you can possibly go. In this game, you have to make it through 700 meters.

In this app, there’s a tracker at the top of the screen that keeps count of how many meters you have left in the game. Don’t start doing a happy dance over how easily you’re going to beat this game and brag about it to your friends.

I took a look at the leader boards in Game Center, and the longest distance was 664 meters. That’s right. Someone choked at the finish line. I feel a little sorry for them, actually.

There are some boosts to help you make it as far as you possibly can. One type of boost is to slow down time while you run. This especially comes in handy when you have multiple obstacles coming your way that require a combination of jumping and sliding. It makes you a little more graceful while you’re switching tactics.

For those who wish that there was a way for you to start where you left off, there’s a resurrection boost. The catch is that these boosts are very expensive. If you want to buy just one boost through an in-app purchase, it’ll cost you $4.99. You have no idea how much I wish I was joking. If you want to be able to buy 10 boosts, it will cost you $9.99. The real kicker is the 100 boost purchase for $99.99. I’m sorry, but if I had almost $100 to spend in the App Store, I wouldn’t be buying in-app purchases for boosts. I’d be buying, you know, actual games.

Now, before anyone gets their knickers in a twist over the prices, I got a 10,000 coin bonus for playing the game 20 times. That’s worth two boosts. So, persistence in trying to beat the game definitely pays off.

Ninja Realm Race is a great endless runner. Part of the motivation to keep coming back is the tracker that marks how much farther you have to go until you actually beat the game. Despite the ninja theme and the swords everywhere, the game is completely nonviolent, so it’s a safe game for kids to play. You know, as long as they don’t accidentally charge a $100 in-app purchase to your card because they happen to know your Apple ID and feel particularly impatient that day.